(Credit: Rog Cogswell/Creative Commons) The Democratic Party seems to be moving to the left with most of its high-profile presidential candidates embracing proposals like Medicare for All. But Virginia Democrats are resisting the trend, as correspondent Matt Laslo reports from Washington. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/ ...…

Credit: Creative Commons Virginia was once the epicenter of the smoking industry. But now, the number of people using cigarettes in Virginia is dropping. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-smoking-study.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu (Credit: Creative Commons) Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu was in Richmond Tuesday. He spoke with the city’s mayor and shared some of the things he learned in his quest to remove the Confederate monuments in his city. Mallory Noe-Payne was at the event and has this report. https://virginiapublicra ...…

Immigration is once again in the spotlight here in Virginia, where the issue has become a dividing line between the parties. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-immigration-legislation.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Credit: Matt Wade / Creative Commons Are Republicans in Virginia guilty of racial gerrymandering? That’s a question currently being considered by the highest court in the land. Michael Pope is at the Supreme Court with the latest. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-scotus-redistricting-begins.mp3…

More than a million Virginians were born in another country. Those immigrants are just the latest in a long line of people who have shaped the state. As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, their stories are being highlighted in an exhibit at the Library of Virginia. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-new-virginians.mp3…

Someone trying to get a mental health evaluation can now walk into any of the state’s community services boards and get one right away, instead of waiting days or even weeks for an appointment. It’s a dramatic shift that the state has been working towards for years. Mallory Noe-Payne reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019 ...…

Credit: Matt Wade / Creative Commons Virginia’s racial gerrymandering case is headed back to the United States Supreme Court next week for yet another round of oral arguments. Michael Pope has this preview. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-scotus-redistricting-preview.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Tax season is upon us, and that means officials at the Internal Revenue Service are working overtime this time of year. But, one Virginia congressman worries that the IRS isn’t getting the funding it needs. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-irs-funding.mp3…

Trees are big money in Virginia, generating some $21 billion each year, according to the state department of Forestry. Another $6.6 billion is attributed to forest contribution to air and water quality. Now, the city of Virginia Beach is looking at the value of the city’s forests as one solution to their flooding problems caused by climate chan ...…

This week is Flood Insurance Awareness Week, and Congress is responding by taking a look at how flood insurance works — and sometimes doesn’t work. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-flood-insurance-revamp.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Credit: dcJohn / Flickr Many school districts across the country remain largely segregated by race. Nationally, nonwhite school districts get $23 billion less in funding than white districts do. But as Mallory Noe-Payne tells us, Virginia actually bucks that trend. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-edbuild-data.mp3…

Credit: Marcie Casas / Creative Commons Virginia’s sales taxes are currently stuck in the last century. But, state laws on sales taxes are about to go back to the future. Michael Pope has the story. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-marketplace-facilitators.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

A Utah company hopes to cover about 3,500 acres in Spotsylvania County with solar panels like these. (Credit National Renewable Energy Lab) A group called Conservatives for Clean Energy recently surveyed 500 Virginia voters and found 72% want more emphasis on solar power here. But as developers share plans with the public, they’re finding plent ...…

Carla Finkielstein and Xianlin Zou compare notes in the laboratory. (Credit Virginia Tech) A new discovery finds that timing is everything when it comes to preventing and treating cancer. Scientists at Virginia Tech are the first to confirm the important role our body’s internal clocks play in whether we are more prone to develop the disease. R ...…

Two more coal burning power plants have gone offline in Virginia as producers move toward other fuels…and passenger rail service is growing in the state thanks largely to public investment in private companies. Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link. More now from Fre ...…

(Credit: John Brighenti / Flickr) Washington gets a lot of bad publicity for partisan gridlock, and there’s certainly a lot of that. But two freshman Virginia lawmakers from different parties are working together to crack down on financial crimes. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-financial-crimes.mp3…

Richmond’s Mayor is proposing a hike in the city’s real estate tax. He says the money is needed for schools and infrastructure. And as Mallory Noe-Payne reports, in recent years real estate taxes have risen across the state. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-real-estate-taxes.mp3…

Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church parishioner Luc DeWulf shows Bill Larme how the solar generator meter works. The church recently installed solar panels on its roof. (Credit Michael Pope) Virginia hasn’t traditionally had a great reputation for renewable sources of energy. But the solar industry is now booming in Virginia. Michael Pope s ...…

A map of at-risk sites in the James River watershed (Credit: Center for Progressive Reform) In Richmond late last month, the James River flooded to more than 16 feet, its highest since 2010. A new report looks at another danger to communities when the James floods –contaminants from industrial areas along the river. Pamela D’Angelo reports. htt ...…

Rep. Bobby Scott Lawmakers in Richmond rejected efforts to raise the minimum wage this year. But now Congress is considering raising the federal minimum wage. And as Michael Pope, a Virginia congressman is leading the effort. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-minimum-wage-hearing.mp3…

Gov. Ralph Northam Governor Ralph Northam is slowly and quietly getting out and about. Mallory Noe-Payne was at his latest public appearance in Richmond Tuesday and has this report. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-northam-returns.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

Credit: Mark Bonica / Flickr School counselors are about to get a little more money. But, as Michael Pope reports, it’s still nowhere close to the required ratio. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-counselor-funds.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Republicans have controlled Virginia’s House of Delegates for almost two decades. At the height of their power they outnumbered Democrats two-to-one. But shifting demographics and a fierce backlash to President Trump has put the party on defense. Mallory Noe-Payne has this look at what Republicans did with what some predict may be their final y ...…

Attorney General Mark Herring (Credit: Commonwealth of Virginia) Attorney General Mark Herring says he did not call on Governor Ralph Northam to resign because of blackface, but because the Governor flip-flopped on his story. Mallory Noe-Payne has more. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-herring-wamu.mp3…

Credit: dcJohn / Flickr School divisions with students who live in poverty are about to get some extra funding. Michael Pope is breaking down the numbers. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/vpr-at-risk-school-funding.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

There are two places in Virginia dealing with invasive outsiders this winter. One is being inundated by bears while legions of real estate speculators have come to the other. Those have been among the most frequently read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link. More now from Fred Echols. https://virgini ...…

Credit: justgrimes / Creative Commons Don’t look now but another election is coming in just three months. Michael Pope has this preview of the primary season. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/web-primary-preview.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

Ethan Zuckerman, co-founder of Blue Ridge Bucha, in the brewery’s taproom (Credit: Sandy Hausman) Virginia is for drinkers – or so it seems with all the wineries, breweries and cideries that have opened here. And when you’re tired of those beverages, a company in Waynesboro is offering an award-winning alternative. Sandy Hausman reports on Blue ...…

The end of the General Assembly session last weekend means the beginning of the campaign season. Michael Pope has this preview. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/web-post-session-politics.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

Credit: alamosbasement / Flickr School safety was at the top of everyone’s minds this legislative session. Mallory Noe-Payne has this roundup of what passed and what didn’t. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/web-school-safety-leg.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

This spring, colleges in Virginia will be voting on whether to raise tuition for next school year. The latest state budget has a big incentive for them not to. Mallory Noe-Payne reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-tuition-freeze.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Now that Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives, Tidewater-area Congressman Bobby Scott has become chairman of a key committee. And, he’s using that position to help high-poverty schools. Michael Pope has details. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-rebuilding-schools.mp3…

Gov. Ralph Northam We’ve heard from many voices about the racist photos on Governor Ralph Northam’s medical school yearbook page and his use of blackface. Civil Rights advocates on the Eastern Shore, where Northam grew up, say the peninsula’s history and community shed light on what happened and how Northam might move forward. Pamela D’Angelo t ...…

Partisan gerrymandering in Virginia politics may soon be a thing of the past. But as Michael Pope reports, the long fight to get there still has at least another year to go. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/web-redistricting-compromise.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

New research indicates that at least one Chesapeake Bay species could benefit from warmer temperatures… and the school superintendent in Halifax County has seen more than enough student videos on social media. Those have been among the most read stories over the past week at the Virginia Public Access Project’s Va. News link. More now from Fred ...…

Some of the Richmond 34 are honored on the floor of the House of Delegates. In 1960 a group of teenagers from Virginia Union University staged a sit-in at a downtown Richmond department store. Thirty-four of them were arrested. As Mallory Noe-Payne reports, the group was honored Friday and their records were finally expunged. https://virginiapu ...…

Lawmakers in Richmond are putting the final touches on a budget deal as the General Assembly session comes to an end this weekend. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/web-budget-education.mp3By dseidelvtedu.

A last ditch effort to get lawmakers in Richmond to vote on the Equal Rights Amendment failed today. It ends this year’s push to make Virginia the final state needed to change the constitution. Mallory Noe-Payne has more. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-era-fails.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Lawmakers and administration officials in Richmond are working together to try to reduce the number of women dying in childbirth. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-review-team.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Kidaya with RISE for Youth speaks with Delegate Aird. (Credit Mallory Noe-Payne) At Virginia’s state house, lobbyists are everywhere. They meet with lawmakers, help draft bills and testify in committees. Reporter Mallory Noe-Payne spent one day this week with a surprising group of lobbyists: Teenagers who have successfully convinced lawmakers t ...…

Do local governments hide public information? One senator is concerned about the possibility they do, and he’s moving forward with a bill to create new penalties to prevent it. Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-foia-emails.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Environmental activist Al Gore applauds his opening act, the Reverend William Barber II during an ecological justice tour. It was a combination protest, spiritual revival and celebration as about 800 people packed the gym at a middle school in Buckingham County last night to hear from environmental activist Al Gore and political activist Willia ...…

Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax is denying the allegations of two women who accuse him of sexual assault. So what comes next? Michael Pope reports. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/vpr-lg-investigation.mp3By Nick Gilmore.

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger takes questions during her first town hall in Virginia’s 7th District. (Credit: Mallory Noe-Payne / RADIO IQ) New congresswoman Abigail Spanberger kept a campaign promise and met with constituents Tuesday night for a town hall. It’s the first public forum Virginia’s seventh congressional district has had in two ...…

Credit: Wellness Corporate Solutions / Flickr / wellnesscorporatesolutions.com The blackface scandal may end up derailing the political career of two statewide elected officials. But it may also end up changing policy in Virginia. Michael Pope explains how. https://virginiapublicradio.files.wordpress.com/2019/02/web-childbirth-equity-ftr.mp3…

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